Chickens should be fed a diet made up mostly of commercial chicken feed. When their daily diet becomes a little monotonous, you may start to look around the pantry in search of something more exciting for them. If your eyes have settled on the fruit bowl, you may wonder, can chickens eat bananas?
So: Can Chickens Eat Bananas?
The answer is yes! Chickens go bananas for bananas!
Bananas are a wonderful treat for chickens and are packed with nutrition to help keep your feathered friends in peak condition. Be wary of feeding them too many bananas, though. The fruit is high in sugar and could lead to some concerning behaviors and health issues. Join us as we unpeel the details of chickens eating bananas.
Can Chickens Eat Bananas: Are Bananas Healthy For Chickens?
Bananas are a healthy snack for chickens when given in moderation. These all-in-one treats are loaded with magnesium, potassium, iron, omega 3 and 6, niacin, vitamin A, C, and B6. (source) In addition, they are a great source of fiber.
Because bananas are so nutritious, you may be tempted to feed them to your chickens as often as possible. The fact that chickens love bananas and eat them with relish may add to your temptation. But be warned! Too many bananas can be unhealthy for your chickens! Your chickens need a balanced diet, with a little treat added occasionally.
Ensure that your chickens’ diet consists mainly of chicken feed. Good quality commercial chicken feed is typically found in pellet, crumbed, or mashed types. They are made from a mixture of corn, oats, soybeans, ground shells, limestone, and added vitamins. (source)
To keep feeding times interesting, try to serve food and snacks in different ways. You can provide a food dispenser, a container, scatter grains around, and string snacks up in the feeding area to keep your chickens interested and entertained while being fed.
Bananas become unhealthy for chickens when they are given too often. Vets recommend allowing around five percent of your chickens’ diet to be made up of fruit like bananas. Any more than this could have your chickens displaying negative side-effects of too much sugar.
Negative Side-Effects Of Bananas For Chickens
Bananas are generally great for chickens. They are healthy and delicious and, when the peels are eaten, also provide fiber for your feathered ladies.
When chickens have too many bananas in their diet, however, there can be a few negative consequences.
Negative side-effects of too many bananas include those similar to having too much sugar in their diet. Experts explain that too much sugar in their diets can cause chickens to become overweight, leading to various related health issues. They may have trouble laying eggs or experience heat exhaustion. (source)
Chickens with too much sugar in their systems sometimes display symptoms similar to those of anxiety and stress. They can be found plucking at their feathers or those of other chickens.
It is best to follow guidelines concerning your chickens’ diet and allow only around five percent of their diet to consist of bananas.
Can Chickens Eat Banana Peels?
Believe it or not, chickens can eat banana peels as well as the flesh of the fruit. Although the peel is bitter compared to the inside, chickens enjoy them just as much.
Banana peels add fiber to chickens’ diets and contain vitamins and nutrients.
When providing banana peels for your chickens, wash the peel thoroughly as you would fruit and vegetables for yourself. Farmers often use harmful pesticides that can cause illness in chickens if ingested.
Chickens eat banana peels in various ways. Let us look at a few ways to provide banana peels for your flock.
1. Whole Bananas Cut Into Pieces
One way to feed banana peels to chickens is to simply leave them on the banana when you slice it up for them. They enjoy working on the pieces, and the combination of sweet and bitter is delicious for them, too.
2. Boil The Peels
It is helpful to boil banana peels before giving them to chickens. The peel is sometimes tough, and chickens may struggle to pull them apart when raw. You can boil the peel with the banana still inside or alone. Either way, your chickens will love the soft addition to their treat.
3. Peels Cut Into Small Pieces
Consider chopping banana peels into small pieces and adding them to your chicken feed from time to time. Your chickens will enjoy the sneaky addition to their meal and love the change of feeding experience.
4. Whole Bananas Strung Up
Keep snack time exciting and fun by stringing up whole bananas, peel and all, in the feeding area. Your chickens will spend ages pecking away at them, and you will minimize the need to clean up after the fact.
How To Feed Bananas To Chickens
Bananas make healthy and tasty snacks for chickens. These birds typically love devouring this fruit and will eat it in large amounts if allowed. Although we need to keep bananas to only around five percent of a chicken’s diet, we can still make the presentation of this delicious snack enjoyable.
Let us look at a few eggcellent ways you can feed bananas to chickens.
1. Slice The Bananas Into Rounds
Possibly the easiest way to feed bananas to chickens is to peel them and slice them into rounds. This makes spreading the pieces more accessible and avoids fighting during the snack frenzy. (source)
Having the banana sliced makes it easier for the chickens to eat.
2. Hang Whole, Unpeeled Bananas
One way to keep your chickens entertained while enjoying their snack is to hang whole bananas in the feeding area, still with the peel on.
Watching your chickens play with the hanging fruit, enjoy themselves, and eat something they want provides owners much entertainment. An added benefit is that less clean-up is needed after the snack.
3. Whole, Peeled Bananas
Providing a whole banana with the peel off will keep your chickens busy for a few minutes. When you give them their snack like this, they will likely form a circle around it and peck at it quickly until it has disappeared.
Watching chickens enjoy themselves and their meals in this way is fun.
4. Boiled Bananas And Peels
It is sometimes beneficial to boil bananas with their peels before giving them to chickens. You can boil only the peel or the peel with the banana inside.
Chickens sometimes struggle with raw banana peels, so they appreciate boiled ones for easy access. What’s more, the mixture of the bitter outside with a soft, sweet inside makes for a beak-watering snack experience for your chickens.
5. Overripe Bananas
What if we told you that overripe bananas can be used for a banana loaf and something else? Indeed, overripe bananas are extremely popular with chickens. Get yours from your pantry or grocers disposing of old produce.
Keep in mind that the fruit should not be rotten or mold. Chickens cannot eat off food, only a little soft and squishy.
Can Chickens Eat Bananas: Summing Up
Chickens can eat bananas, and most love them. Bananas are packed with health-boosting vitamins and minerals and provide a welcome health boost when given in moderation. Try not to offer your chickens too many bananas, as they have high sugar content. Too much sugar can lead to chickens gaining weight, struggling to lay eggs, displaying stress and anxiety symptoms, or struggling to regulate their temperatures.
Chickens can eat banana peels as well as the flesh of the fruit. They can eat them raw; however, they enjoy them boiled and soft, too. Provide bananas in different ways to keep your chickens entertained, and watch them enjoy their healthy snack.
David Cameron is a passionate chicken enthusiast. Growing up, he always wanted to be a veterinarian and loved animals. After graduating from veterinary school, David spent over 40 years as an equine veterinarian. He and his wife retired a few years ago and moved to North Carolina. Here, David’s love of chickens grew even more – he now has 7 chickens and 6 quail. If you have any questions about chickens, feel free to reach out.